Author
Topic: glass Ruins Final Fantasy Tactics

Ok, so I'm a terrible writer and no one cares what I have to say. But I'm also impossibly stupid and stubborn and have always wanted to try doing an LP of some manner. So you'll all have to deal with my terrible punctuation and run on sentences, while I muddle my way through a game that deserves a much better treatment than I could ever give it. I'd wrestled with doing either FF IX or Chrono Cross, but my deep seeded love for history and political drama made it impossible not to revisit this masterpiece of game. In my humble and uneducated opinion, FFT has the most impressive story out of any RPG I have ever played to completion. The setting, plot and characters are almost all believable (except for the fun extras like cloud, byblos and construct 8) and (and this is HUGE) there aren't any moments in the entire game where you are left wondering why the villain didn't just kill the protagonists when he/she/they had the chance. With the intricacies of its plot (with layer after layer peeled back as you play) and the development of its characters, it could conceivably have been made into a book instead of a game and ended up just as enjoyable. Think a medieval version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Now, I know thoughts on which version (the PSX or the War of the Lions redo) is the preferred one are pretty split. I've played the hell out of both and decided that I like the later version better. Yes, Thee Olde Englishe can get annoying at times, but I find it infinitely less garbled and confusing as the original version (ex: http://goo.gl/G1anG9, http://goo.gl/YMfDkJhttp://goo.gl/Gk4pk8)

Oh, and if you bitch about things like slow down, you need to seriously re-evaluate yourself as a privileged human being. "The animations on my handheld miracle machine are slightly too slow!! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE I HAVE TO WAIT AN EXTRA .3 SECONDS TO CAST STASIS SWORD???" The positives of completely understanding what's going on in a story where you absolutely need to know exactly what's going on far outweigh the "negative" of needing to wait an extra nano second to sit through a few select attacks (and oh my, those new animated cut scenes...). Grow up people.

WORLD BUILDING!

This is Ivalice:

I will get into crazy stuff like how long after FFXII is FFT? And where on the FFXII map are the duchy's from FFT? later. But for now, what's most important to know if that A) Ivalice just "lost" a 50 year long war with Ordalia (yes, technically they didn't lose, but for all intents and purposes they did) and B) a whole bunch of former soldiers just returned home and were more or less told to go fuck themselves by the nobility. The resulting fallout from the ensuing class struggle sets the stage for the entire first chapter.

I'm going to use this space to point out one of my biggest pet peeves from this game. That the goddamn world map doesn't let you know which of the 6 duchy's you're in. A lot of the characters make reference to something being in Galionne or Limberry or Zeltennia, but unless you consult a map on the interwebs, it's really difficult to figure out which towns are in which regions and ultimately makes the whole Order of the Northern-Southern-Cross-Black-White-Lion-Goltanna-Larg conflict even more confusing than it can already be.

Also, as far as I know, Romanda is only ever referred to as that "militaristic country across the sea that invaded Ivalice during the Fifty Years War with Ordalia". If nothing more is ever said about it, that's a shame because I am absolutely fascinated by it. I imagine it's something like Porre from Chrono Cross.

CHAPTER 1: The Derp

~ The beginning is standard RPG fare and the first few fights don't matter at all outside of establishing that you need to drag things out as long as possible in order to gain JP (and you'd goddamn well better get on with getting JP boost right off the bat). Then you rescue THIS asshole who just watched the Marquis de Limberry get himself kidnapped:

Argath! AKA the requisite 80's coming of age movie, I'm a dickbag because this movie needs a dickbag, dickbag. This guy is one of the best examples of an archetypal baddie this game has to offer and I love him for it. Unearned sense of accomplishment? Check. Snotty looking facial expression? Check. Complete inability to comprehend why others don't particularly care for him? Check! You could just as easily slot this guy into a John Hughes (RIP) movie and no one would bat an eye.

~ After that something happens where Tietra and Alma act all helpless lady like or whatever and then Ramza's older brother tells him to stick around and guard the castle while the grown ups look for the Marquis. And the game ends there because of course Ramza listens...

Argath! AKA the requisite 80's coming of age movie, I'm a dickbag because this movie needs a dickbag, dickbag. This guy is one of the best examples of an archetypal baddie this game has to offer and I love him for it. Unearned sense of accomplishment? Check. Snotty looking facial expression? Check. Complete inability to comprehend why others don't particularly care for him? Check! You could just as easily slot this guy into a John Hughes (RIP) movie and no one would bat an eye.

I definitely hope Square explores Ivalice again. As far as a classical Medieval setting they've done a really great job expanding and exploring it and I'd love to see it again.

That said, you're right on the money about him and I always loved that...kinda....Hitler Youth look to him. He's 100% a villain and you know it (don't you love when villains look like villains?? I find it hilarious, really)

When a "guest" player gets KO'd (and can't be permadeathed), do you guys just leave him? Knowing that, with how shitty the AI can be, they'll just get themselves KO'd again almost immediately? It seems like a waste of Phoenix Downs (and Raise only hits about half the time at low levels).

Is it just me, or does the enemy AI tend to have their knights use rend A SHITLOAD more on the updated version? Having your armor destroyed is VERY frustrating when you're a few spots on the map away from a town. It seems like I get a random battle EVERY FRIGGIN TIME I have to go back to buy more supplies (money is tight when you have to constantly stock up on potions to use during turns when characters have nothing else to do and you want that sweet sweet JP).

Has anyone ever actually used a captured/tamed monster regularly in their party? I have this strange desire to blow through an entire playrthrough with just Ramza and 4-5 uber chocobo's. This will probably come up later when I finally get around to leveling up an orator.

I'd forgotten what a broken mess FFTactics can turn into after you recruit Orlandeau...

I'd also forgotten how shit awful the samurai job class is

I''d DOUBLY forgotten how ridiculous it is to level up your generic characters only to have them inevitably replaced by uber powerful uniques

I have a dope ass Dark Knight lady and a STUPID Powerful Geomancer/Archer/White Mage and I don't ever seem to use them because Agrias is amazing at everything and Orlandeau rapes all human baddies and Balthier does massive damage with his gun and fuck I can't leave out clould can I? CAN I????

this game turns into a chore because all random battles take 5 minutes at minimum.

Hm. I thought the subject line was a joke, but you really did ruin the game! Well done, truth in advertising.

I admit, Tactics is more fun if you force yourself to vary up the party. Don't use the best characters all the time. In fact, make yourself use EVERYONE! Even Rapha and Marach! Find a way to make them useful. It's great fun.

Logged

"You know, you're pretty cool too, Arvis. You like good music, good games, and good tennis." - Divingfalcons